Tag Archives: Obamacare

1)The US government will release some year-end statistics regarding things within their purview with the intention of reflecting their positive handling of those said items. My take: “Statistics are for losers..” (Attributed to many sports personages.)

2)There will be some major announcement regarding contact with aliens, i.e.the space people, not the illegal ones. It could come in the form of a confirmation of intelligible radio signals from outer space or the Trump administration seeking to “trump” Hillary and produce bodies from Area 51. My take: “We meet aliens every day who have something to give us. They come in the form of people with different opinions.” (William Shatner)

3) A relatively unknown figure will emerge to lead a rebellion in the Democratic Party against the old fogies currently in charge. This middle-aged person will be a centrist opposed to the left-wing bomb throwers who made all the noise during the last election, but had their influence muted by the Machine. My take: “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” (Will Rogers)

4) The 2017 word of the year will be “kitchen debate”. This is actually a term we will revive from the 50s. It was then that Soviet premier Nikita Krushchev and American vice president Richard Nixon engaged in public arguments in a model American home in Moscow. They became known as the “kitchen debates”. Current Russian president alluded to these debates at the end of 2016 when he said that he refused to engage Barack Obama in “kitchen diplomacy”. I assumed Putin was referring to the fact these interactions between Krushchev and Nixon were mainly viewed as a publicity stunt. Donald Trump will continue this kind of diplomacy with bombastic tweets regarding foreign leaders and governments. My take: “If you can’t take the heat, get our of the kitchen.” (Harry S. Truman)

5) Starbucks seems to be taking over the world. However, their bubble will begin to burst due to subtle changes in customer service and so-called “rewards” that have made them more like a pricey McDonalds. My take: You’re slipping Howard.” When we began Starbucks, what I wanted to try to do was to create a set of values, guiding principles, and culture.” (Howard Schultz)

6) Coverage for health care will remain as confusing as ever, if not more so, since the Republicans are going to be fiddling with Obamacare. My take: Find a financial navigator who will guide you through the morass.“America’s health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.” (Walter Cronkite)

7) After an election period in which many Americans hold young people in disdain, calling them “snowflakes” and decrying their need for safe spaces, some Millennial will become an icon to their fellows and all of the nation because of their courage. This unlikely hero or heroine will completely change youth culture and be universally admired. My take: “The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.” (Kurt Cobain)

8) With the rise of terrorism incidents and uncontrolled crime in cities like Chicago, Americans will mimic the Germans and begin to form vigilante groups to do the job our federal, state and local governments won’t do. My take: “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.” (John Phillip Curran, 19th century Irish politician and orator)

9) Though Millennials (ages 18-34) now are the largest living generation, surpassing Baby Boomers (ages 51-69) by about half a million according to Pew Research, the latter will not go quietly. Expect loud reactions from older people over the outrages constantly circulated in the media these days. These folks are twice as likely to be conservative than their youthful counterparts. That’s no surprise given the old adage “if you are young and not a liberal you have no heart, but if you are old and not a conservative you have no head.” Though conservatives are generally less likely to protest and just go about their business, the Trump victory in the recent presidential election revealed that Baby Boomers are not going to sit on their hands and watch the culture go down the toilet. My take:” Do not go gentle into that good night,.old age should burn and rave at close of day;
rage, rage against the dying of the light.” -Dylan Thomas.

10) I predict I will be wrong on at least half of these predictions. Therefore, instead of living in the past or future I intend to follow best selling author Brendon Burchard’s approach and slow time down, focusing on today and the moment, taking deepr breaths and seeking to be a better person. My take: “A great man is a torch in the darkness, a beacon in superstition’s night, an inspiration and a prophecy.” (Robert Green Ingersoll, 19th century leader of the “Free Thought” movement, which stressed science and reason over religion, tradition and authority.)